Well, hello there…

Posted by on May 12, 2020 in communication, culture, humanise business, humans, social interaction, Uncategorized | No Comments

Many of us are spending a lot – far too much IMHO – of time on video conferences: for work and for social reasons: endless catch-ups and next steps discussions (and that’s just my family)

Some of us are super efficient.

Join the call and get stuck in.

Don’t you know I’m a busy chap?

I’m starting to realise the benefits of waiting for as long as possible to “get down to business”, especially in work calls.

To spend time just checking in with each other as humans and getting a proper feel for how they are experiencing the world and what they are bringing to the call today.

Our human-human relationships are the basis of our business.

Without those relationships things don’t happen.

Even if the communication is “phatic” – that is, about the relationship between the speaker and the listener. Keeping lines open if you like.

So here’s something to try:

Pepaha

this is part of the wonderfully rich etiquette of social interaction that Maori culture has created.

You have probably come across the stylised warrior challenge, the Haka and the nose-to-nose Hongi greeting (where two strangers literally share the same air). Though not sure how the latter is going down amid the COVID crisis.

Pepeha is different: it’s a ritualised way of introducing yourself so that your conversational partners understand you and your connections and you theirs.

It’s based on your Maori genealogy (or Whakapapa) – both geographic and human.

The key features in the landscape that shaped you and your family: the mountains, the water, the place and so on.

Then your family’s tribe and their names and locations.

And finally you.

HERE is a really nice online resource to make your own simple one (they can go on for a while).

Why not try spending a few more moments than are comfortable at the start of these endless calls getting everyone on the call to put voice to themselves and where they come from before you “get down to business”.

You don’t have to do a full Pepeha but find a way to make the connection more fully human. The communication is invariably of a different quality.